Hi-
Just happened to find this board and you all seem like you're knowledgeable.
I've got a house that is 25 years old and I've owned it for 4 years.
In the past year or so, I've had two interior pipe blockages which caused backups in the bathroom of my finished basement. (at least one of the times, we were using our dishwasher, shower and washing machine all around the same time).
The first time, it caused an explosion from the drain of the bathtub and filled the room with a watery "black soot" that smelled like sewage. I was told it most likely was grease from the kitchen line. The plumber only cleaned out pipes that could be reached from below the kitchen sink
The second time was much worse and instead of an "explosion", it was a flood of sooty water that was much greater in volume. This time the plumber (another company) went up to my main vent pipe on my roof to do a "proper" cleanout. I haven't had any problems since (about 6 months).
Around this same time, my neighbor across the street had to have their main sewer line dug up and replaced (we're in a subdivision).
I'm trying to avoid having the same cost as he did.
The houses in this neighborhood don't have outside cleanouts at all and I've got several large trees in my front yard (more than my neighbor). It's about a 30 foot distance from the sidewalk to my house.
Under these circumstances, does it make sense to have an outside cleanout installed? (My neighbor did after he had his line replaced). How expensive of a job is this? What, if any, other suggestions would you have?
The first plumber (didn't think he was on the ball) tried to sell me on the idea of using his camera and a product called BioClean. Should I have done this or should the $$ be spent on a new clean-out and a good cleaning? Is BioClean worth the $$ or are the products at Home Depot essentially the same thing?
Thanks for any insights or ideas you may have!
Just happened to find this board and you all seem like you're knowledgeable.
I've got a house that is 25 years old and I've owned it for 4 years.
In the past year or so, I've had two interior pipe blockages which caused backups in the bathroom of my finished basement. (at least one of the times, we were using our dishwasher, shower and washing machine all around the same time).
The first time, it caused an explosion from the drain of the bathtub and filled the room with a watery "black soot" that smelled like sewage. I was told it most likely was grease from the kitchen line. The plumber only cleaned out pipes that could be reached from below the kitchen sink
The second time was much worse and instead of an "explosion", it was a flood of sooty water that was much greater in volume. This time the plumber (another company) went up to my main vent pipe on my roof to do a "proper" cleanout. I haven't had any problems since (about 6 months).
Around this same time, my neighbor across the street had to have their main sewer line dug up and replaced (we're in a subdivision).
I'm trying to avoid having the same cost as he did.
The houses in this neighborhood don't have outside cleanouts at all and I've got several large trees in my front yard (more than my neighbor). It's about a 30 foot distance from the sidewalk to my house.
Under these circumstances, does it make sense to have an outside cleanout installed? (My neighbor did after he had his line replaced). How expensive of a job is this? What, if any, other suggestions would you have?
The first plumber (didn't think he was on the ball) tried to sell me on the idea of using his camera and a product called BioClean. Should I have done this or should the $$ be spent on a new clean-out and a good cleaning? Is BioClean worth the $$ or are the products at Home Depot essentially the same thing?
Thanks for any insights or ideas you may have!